There is no denying that this alignment is idiotic, BUT we can also face a few troubling, if advantageous, facts about the B1G. Northwestern is middling at best, sparty is regressing toward their private (below average) mean, Nebraska is and will be good, but their move to the B1G seems not to have helped their recruiting. They don't seem particularly scary in the long term. On the other hand, Michigan and Ohio (and ND) are all looking to be genuinely great within 2 to 4 years (none qualify now). Does this alignment grease Ohio's path to the title game? sure. But if we take care of our business we should play in about 1/2 to 2/3 of the B1G championship games in the fairly near future. Likely about the same as Ohio.

in the first two years, they are already becoming our new biggest rival because they are in our division and we are the top two teams in said division. On a side note, the chances of ever meeting Ohio in the championship game, seem rather low. I can't decide if that's a good thing or bad?

Such a depressing sop to the great moneyball in the sky. Totally dilutes the spirit and identity of the B10. Nobody wants to go play in Piscataway and College Park.

Plus, now it's only a matter of time before 2 more teams are added to make it 16. Given the geographic trends, I'm guessing most people here agree that the best scenario would involve UNC and Virginia: top-notch schools with considerable fan-bases and tv markets. But why would basketball-first program leave the warm embrace of the ACC? I don't see UNC separating from Duke and NC State.

Since it's all about TV, logic says the league now takes aim at other get-able schools near their new footprint (which unfortunately amounts to the dead-zone of college football): GTech, VA, VT, BC. The only remotely viable big-splash options left are Oklahoma, FSU. OU is a sub-standard school; the Noles literally have nothing in common with the other teams.

I'm never going to be able to remember who is in what conference now. No more m's + n's the Iowa in the conference without the actual word featured in our fight song in our conference and everybody else in the other.

If you are student and spend 4 years in Ann Arbor, it is likely you may spend your entire time in Ann Arbor without getting to see a game in the Big House against the cheeseheads or a last minute dismantling of PSU. Think of the epic games/finishes UM has had against those two teams. Another end of an era. I'm beginning to realize that the Big Ten Network is the devil. But hey, Brandon promised on 60 minutes to bring entertainment to the fans. Moar skydiving gameballz!! The entertainment that I want to see is the freakin tradiitonal Big 10 teams playing in the Big House every other year.

These teams are obviously here for the rest of us to beat up on and pad our win columns. Fewer trips to Arlington and the Left Coast, more cross divisional cupcakes. Dave Brandon said their joining the conference came with an agreeement to always play their home games in the New Meadowlands Stadium. They'll just dress the stands up like Buck Rodgers for Rutgers games, vomit and wood chips for Maryland. Also officially changing the division name to Ledgers and Leadins. I tell myself this makes sense because I'm unprepared to deal with the reality of how much the move is actually a B1G steaming bowl of elephant piss. BIG TEEEEEEENNN!!!

All things considered... although this is a big change for the B1G as a whole, this doesn't affect Michigan THAT much. We are still guaranteed to play 6 of the other 9 traditional B1G teams annually. We've replaced the others with an annual game against Nebraska, which might be an improvement. We'll still play one of the other traditional B1G teams or PSU almost annually.

The big overhaul is going to come when Central Florida or Rice or Portland State is added to get up to 16 in a couple more years. I'm assuming they're just waiting to inevitably reach 16 teams before bothering to rework the divisions. My other assumption is that when they do rework the divisions, the result will be even more nonsensical with respect to geography and tradition.

There has been a fair amount of discussion about Brandon’s role in this. In the end the final say, and Michigan’s vote, comes from Mary Sue Coleman. If you are displeased with this move she would probably be the place to start.

Getting Dave Brandon wrong is fast becoming your legacy. You continually overstate or misrepresent Brandon's influence on the changing superstructure of collegiate athletics, and fail to recognize that his responsibility (and really, the only thing he can tangibly direct) is to ensure Michigan's continued success within that environment. In this regard we could not ask for a better athletic director in this current context.

I wanted to repost this after someone called him "incompetant" earlier.

It's truly SAD to see you all rag on DB because in all honesty --- he's a GREAT athletics director. He's got to look out for the University of Michigan. Not ensuring Michigan and Ohio get the same division. I hate being the dick that throws around credentials, but many of you talking crap about Brandon have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about. Do I like DB a person? Not really --- I think he's arrogant. Do I want to see Rutgers in the B1G? Nope --- but I understand why and would've made the same choice if I were an AD and not a fan.

You don't know the first THING about college athletics. And I'm not gonna throw the "I know more than you card out" ...but fuck it, I know more than. I've worked in college athletics administration for over 10 years INCLUDING in the B1G AND at Maryland.

Maryland HAD to make this move, they were BROKE --- thanks to Debbie Yow (who was the AD when I was there). Michigan has more money than they know what to do with thanks to Dave Brandon. Maryland is in DC, Michigan is in the struggling state of MICHIGAN.

Some how we've got a new Crisler, a "new" Big House, a "new" Yost, Under The Lights, The Big Chill, etc. --- and plenty more on the way.

Yet the man who oversees all of this is incompetant. What a moronic statement.

Dave Brandon knows this will make him and his university more money --- PERIOD. People in Maryland are going to pay to see Michigan play on the road there and people in Michigan will pay for to see Maryland just like they pay to see us play Minnesota and Northwestern.

The University of Maryland just had to cut sports...do you know how BAD that is for an athletics department? Of couse not. Meanwhile, we just started a LACROSSE program --- do you know how EXPENSIVE that is?! Of course not.

and the other division is another separate nearby vaguely familiar conference....until it changes when they go to 16 for whatever reason.

The "Maryland Divisions" as leaked by them might well be premature, a trial balloon, or a temporary placeholder. I'd think that's more an AD decision and they will hopefully be more sympathetic to the fans that make CFB what it is. Though UM fans have a (well deserved) reputation for arrogance, this is one case where your concerns are quite valid.

Though Nebraska takes a back seat to no one for winning tradition and championships, we are sensible enough to know the B1G we joined is at its heart a Michigan-Ohio St conference. It's entirely legitimate to expect some respect and preferential treatment. College Football without traditional rivalries is just.......pro football lite.

The XII was always a shotgun wedding, purely a media-$$$ driven marriage of convenience that was doomed from the start (still is). Hope the B1G doesn't devolve into the same thing.